Western Art - Term Paper Example

Western Art The beginning of architecture is part of prehistory as this form of art figured in megalithic monuments. The Bronze Age dawned in Mesopotamia and Egypt, and came to an end in the Italian peninsula around 1000 B.C. At that time the people emigrating from central Europe to the Italian peninsula established a new Iron Age civilization that was succeeded by the Etruscans’ in the 8th century BC. According to Herodotus, Etruscans originally came from Minor Asia and settled in a region in central Europe called Rasenna by the Etruscans, Etruria by the Romans and known now as Tuscany. The Etruscan civilization, on its peak, In the sixth and the seventh centuries, produced great works of art that Although deeply influenced by the Greek culture, conserved its distinctive identity. According to roman writers, the Etruscans were master of architectural engineering town planning and surveying, they taught Romans how to build fortifications, drainage systems and bridges. They also founded, using grids, many cities in Rome. Among the monuments that survived from this civilization we can cite, the temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva on the Capitoline hill. By 200 B.C., due to its successive military victory, Rome became at the forefront of the western world. Greece, although militarily defeated, determined the shape of the republic Romes cultural life with the achievements of its philosophers, mathematicians and sculptors. Architecture surpassed its political and ritual functions to extend to urban architecture as this period witnessed the construction of several offices, bridges, streets,, etc. The most important monuments built in this period are the Fortuna Virilis temple, the theater of Marcellus and the temple of Vesta. In the beginning of the Empire, roman architecture was the reflection of political life. Caesar ordered the reconstruction of old republican basilicas like the Basilica Julia, the Basilica Sempronia and the Basilica Aemilia as well as the construction of temples like the temple of Castor and Pollux, the temple of Divus Jiulus, the temple of Concord and most importantly the triumphal arc. Constantine, being the first Christian emperor, founded churches like the church of the Nativity, Bethlehem and the church of Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem and the original St. Peter in Rome as well as the church of San Giovanni in Laterano. "Between the fifth and ninth centuries, with major building projects in Western Europe almost at a standhill, architectural development was left to Byzantium which remained economically advanced [..]" (Risebero 2001, 42)Christian architecture reigned in the Byzantine period, Churches like St. Sergius, St. Irene, Haghia Sophia and St. Bacchus were built as well as monasteries. That period witnessed a development in church plans that based Christian art for the next millennium. Islamic architecture had a major influence on the Byzantine art. The abstract applied art and the accurate geometry ingenuity that marked Islamic works like the Great Mosque of Samarra, the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Calvo and the Dome of the rock found its way in Byzantine buildings. The vision of Charlemagne, the leader of the Carolingian Empire, participated in the creation of medieval Europe. However, very little Carolingian architecture survived of which we can mention the Palatine Chapel, the bronze equestrian statue and The Monastery on Centula. The Carolingian renaissance was pursued by the Ottonian Empire that was famous of its castles and churches like St. Cyriakus, Church of St. Michael and Church of St. Gertude. Clarity, accuracy and spatial organization are major traits of the Romanesque period that marked medieval Europe of which the most famous architectural productions are Tournai Cathedral, Belgium, Angoulême Cathedral, France and Mainz Cathedral, Germany. The Gothic style, born in Paris, representing a global break from the past, emerged from one European city to the other. This period extended from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. A great number of ecclesiastical buildings remain from this period, of which we can cite The western façade of Reims Cathedral, France, the Milan Cathedral, Italy and Batalha Monastery, Portugal. The majesty of gothic church stands on the expansion of light, the great height and the wonderfully accurate construction. Daphne Crucifixion Vs Grünewald. Crucifixion Many artistic representations illustrated the punishment of crucifixion. The crucifixion mosaic existing in the church of Dormation in Daphne Greece illustrates the Byzantine conception of crucifixion. This Mosaic represents the “Humanist” way of viewing the process of crucifixion as perceived in the 11th Century. The gesture made by Mary in the mosaic is a sign of the existence of a dialogue between mother and son. A humanist dimension figures in the death posture of Jesus Christ: his eyes are closed, his hands inclined towards Mary andhis arms raised in a way resembling the attitude of prayer. The portrayal of Christ in these works of art represents a break from the old iconic model of graphic art. The emphasis put on the feelings translates the meaning of faith. Mathias Grunewald’s illustration of crucifixion belongs to the Renaissance period. The german painter was commissioned for a new Chapel, the Isenheim Altarpiece, between 1512 and 1515. The Isenheim altarpiece had many scenes within its wings one of which is the crucifixion. Many critics consider Grunewald’s illustration of crucifixion to be the most troubling in history. The black, barren and stony background of the painting symbolizes the absence of hope. Christ’s body is shown with pieces of wood and thorns in it. His flesh is shown as dreadfully lacerated and punctured. This violent see repellent representation of crucifixion totally opposes the optimistic vision presented in Daphne’s crucifixion. Significantly, the Isenheim altarpiece was made for a monastery, the saint Anthony monastery of Isenheim, suffering from ergotism, a skin disease. Grunewald perhaps wanted to associate the pain endured by patients to the torture of the Christ in order to motivate the priests to help them and to give a holy dimension to their suffering. Head of Constantine VS Head of Roman The head of Constantine belongs to byzantine sculpture. The head is a part of a huge statue of Constantine’s from his basilica. The head is eight feet tall, the statue overall is 5 times real-size. The gigantic dimensions of the head add superhuman dimension to the representation of the Christian emperor who considered himself as the “thirteenth apostle”. The colossal head conveys little of Constantine’s appearance, but it tells us a lot about how he views himself and how he is viewed by others. In the statue, Constantine’s eyes stare in hypnotic intensity and his face has a clean shaven look; the nose of the statue is removed. The conception of representing the leader reflects the influence of paganism on Early Christian Art. St. Matthew Gospel Ebbo Vs St. Matthew Gospel Charlemagne St. Matthew’s Gospel of Charlemagne was executed around the year 800 and belongs to the Carolingian period to which it represents the first step of its revival. It exists in the formal imperial treasure in Vienna and is claimed to be found in Charlemagne’s tomb. Neither the identity nor the nationality of his artist is known. This work of art is comparable to a written text. What marks this painting the most is the golden halo; it gives the impression that the statue was built eight centuries later from its real execution date and that the painted character is more of an author than an Evangelist. The acanthus ornament on the wide frame hand to hand with the “window” treatment of the picture proves that the artist followed the roman tradition in this painting. Although the St. Matthew Gospel of Ebbo belongs to the same artistic period as the one of Charlemagne, many differences set these two apart. The Ebbo Gospel is painted with touches of clear and strong colors. This technique is combined with a linear use of faint and a contrast in light and dark. Each psalm occupies one third of a page and is illustrated by inflamed compositions. The narrative content of the text is expressed in a pictorial form. The rapid line and delicate illusionism mark the whole work making each part of it, including the landscape and architectural details, seem to be “swept along in ecstatic movement” (,541). In this work of art, unlike Charlemagne’s Gospel, the roman tradition is substituted by a pure Carolingian style. Moissac last judgment Vs Daphne, Pantocrator The term “pantocrator” means ruler of the universe. The mosaic Pantrocrator image of the Christ is represented against a gold background in the center of the dome in the church of the Monastery of Daphne representing the Byzantine period. It was created in 1100. This Mosaic is one of the most complicated decorations in history; that is probably justified by the numerous workshops employed over a long time to create it. The pentactator in the Cupola and the bust figure of St. John and St. Nicholas in the side chapel are distinct from the rest of the mosaic by their stark and expressive faces. The lower panels in the naos and the cycle in the narthex are revealing of a softer and more narrative decorative style. In fact, the modeling of the bodies and the flesh in the lower part is of extraordinary firmness and accuracy. From the preceding description we can deduce that this Mosaic resembles to artistic products from the Renaissance period. Moissac’s last judgment represents the Romanesque art. The theme of “last judgment” is only implicit in the Moissac portal. On the side of the portal, there are complex relief compositions, on the right the events of the incarnation from the annunciation to the Flight into Egypt, on the left the vices of Luxuria and Avarice and the parable of the rich fool and Dives and Lazarus. The juxtaposition of the two compositions as parallel suggests that the latter is an allegory of the last judgment, balancing the former as a fulfillment of incarnation. The figures of St. Peter and Isaiah on the left and right outer jambs of portal signify respectively that the church is the arbiter of salvation or damnation and the prophecy of salvation through the incarnation. Therefore, the representation of judgment day is completely allegoric unlike the one in Daphne in which you can visualize the Christ and many other religious characters. Sources 1- Watkin David, A History of Western Architecture, Laurence King Publishing, 2005. 2- Horst Woldemar Janson, Anthony F. Janson, History of Art: The Western Tradition, Prentice Hall PTR, 2003. 3- Bill Risebero, The Story of Western Architecture, MIT Press, 2001. 4- Millard Fillmore Hearn, Romanesque Sculpture: The Revival of Monumental Stone Sculpture in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries, Cornell University Press, 1985. 5- Lawrence (editor) Gowing, The encyclopedia of visual art, 1983. Read More